Moccasin sock



V. DU CHARME MOCCASIN SOCK Feb. 8, 1955 Filed June 29, 1953 INVENTOR.

VICTOR DUCHARME flww Q 4 ATTORNEYS MQCCASIN SOCK 3 Claims. (Cl. 66-180) This invention relates to a novel moccasin-sock of the type containing a decorative multicolor design knitted in the foot portion thereof to which a leather bottom is adapted to be attached to produce a moccasin and to the sock-moccasin so produced.

It is among the objects of this invention to provide a moccasin-sock having a decorative multicolor design knitted into the foot portion thereof and containing a mock heel also knitted therein and to provide a process of making the same.

Among other objects of the invention is to provide a circular knit sock containing a Jacquard knitted design in the foot portion containing the same number of wales throughout the length thereof and containing a well-defined, mock heel portion and to' provide a sock-moccasin containing such a sock.

These objects and others ancillary thereto are obtained by providing for a plurality of tuck stitches in a circular Jacquard knitting machine at the portion thereof which is to be the heel while avoiding the regular formation of such tuck stitches atthe other portions of sock. This is accomplished by employing long butt needles in the knitting cylinder at that portion of the sock where the heel is to be formed while employing shorter butt needles for the other locations on the cylinders. The short butt needles and long butt needles act the same as long as cams are employed which are positioned close to the knitting cylinder. When it is time for the mock heel to be formed according to the invention the ordinary cam is automatically moved out of engagement with the needle butts and a very thin cam is substituted therefor. The said thin cam operates only on the long butt needles and provides for the tucks which form the mock heel.

The general idea of forming a mock heel on a plain woven sock by forming tuck stitches therein is known but such tucks could not heretofore be formed in the Jacquard knitted products without disturbing the normal operation of the design forming mechanism. By combining long and short butt needles the long butt needles are employed for making the tuck stitches while the short butt needles continue to knit according to the Jacquard pattern.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a side view of a sock made according to the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal view of the circular knit tube of a length to include several socks as said tube comes from the knitting machine.

Fig. 3. is a side view of the sock of Fig. 2 with the leather sole attached.

Fig. 4 is a detail view, greatly enlarged, of the stitches at the mock heel portion.

The sock of Fig. 1 has a toe portion 11 made by closing the knitted tube along line 12. The toe portion 11 and the leg portion 13 of the stocking shown are knitted of one color although this is not a necessary condition. Between the toe 11 and leg 13 there are two distinct portions, the upper decorative portion 14 and the lower sole portion 20. The upper decorative portion is shown with a diamond-type of design knitted therein. The design shown includes diamond shaped portions of contrasting colors. The diamond portions at 15 and 18, for example, are white, the portions at 14 are yellow with the red threads being introduced at 16 and 19. The portion 14 can have any desired design knitted therein within the possible designs of the Jacquard knitting machine employed.

' "The sole portionzllfis plain vor;jerseykn itiand the colored yarns. employed in portions"1'5,"16 and17 show up.imalternate'nourses.

The.mock'lheel.is shown at"21,"the tuck stitches thereof .extend'frorn course .22 up to course .23. In the' sock shown there. are-approximately 36 'wales "of the :"knitted design'.14.and.approximately12'8=of the sole Wales20. The two walesi'24, 25 adjacenteach side of the design portion '14P continue to :be knitted :as before but the remaining 24 wales "in the mock heel 21* are"forme'd"from the elastic tucked stitches. Thus, wales 2633, etc. are all continuation of wales in the sole portion 20 of the sock but the wales 2633 separate from their adjacent wales to produce the mock heel.

In producing the sock as illustrated, therefore, the machine is fitted with 28 long butt needles at the portion of the machine which is to form the sole and heel portion, the remainder of the needles having short butts. The long butt needles act the same as short butt needles would when the sole and leg portions are being knitted but when the course is reached where the mock heel is to be started a cam acting only on the long butt needles is put into operation to produce the tuck stitches. In the sock shown the upper part 36 of the leg is ribbed in known manner. It will be noted that the tuck stitches of the heel 21 start in the same course and end in the same course. This gives what would be, except for the expansiveness of the tuck stitches a rectangular section. The result, however, is a heel shaped portion since the tucks nearest the plain stitched areas are held from expanding more than the tucked stitches approaching the central portion of the tucked area. Thus, in spite of the original rectangular shape of the tucked area a rounded bulge is produced in the said sock.

In the sock illustrated the tuck employed is the oneand-one tuck as shown in Fig. 5 wherein during the formation of one course one set of the long butt needles (every other one) fail to press ofi their stitches and thus receive double loops while on the next course the other set of long butt needles fail to press off their thread and receive double loops, etc. However, two-and-two tuck or oneand-three tuck may be used since all such tucks produce the elastic or expandable portion which becomes the mock heel. The one-and-one tuck is preferred, however, as it has more regularity and is less bumpy.

As shown in Fig. 2 the socks are knitted continuously one after another and when taken from the knitting machine need only to be separated, closed at the toe end and finished as desired at the open end.

Heretofore, when Jacquard socks have been employed for moccasins the substantially straight tubular socks have been first knitted and various means have been employed to cause the sock to bend upwardly at the heel. See Patent 2,467,237, for example. As shown in Fig. 3, the sock of this invention includes the mock heel portion 21 which requires no additional shaping or bending and no undesirable gathering of the knitted fabric occurs opposite the heel portion. The leather sole portion 40 is attached to the sole 20 of the sock 10 in any desired way as by sewing, cementing and an attractive close fitting sock moccasin is formed.

The features and principles underlying the invention described above in connection with specific exemplifications will suggest to those skilled in the art many other modifications thereof. It is accordingly desired that the appended claims shall not be limited to any specific features or details shown and described in connection with the exemplifications thereof.

I claim:

1. As an article of manufacture, a sock for use in making a sock moccasin wherein the portion above the sole thereof is visible, the improved construction comprising a toe portion of plain knit stitches, a leg portion comprising a plain knit region and a ribbed knit region, a sole portion of plain knit stitches, a decorative Jacquard design portion extending between said toe portion and said leg portion on the upper side of said sock, said Jacquard design portion comprising a plurality of different colored yarns, and a mock heel portion formed of tuck stitches, the wales of said heel portion connecting the wales of the sole portion with wales of said leg portion whereby with i e a the exception of the toe end the said sock has the same quard design portion comprising a pluralityof different number of continuous wales throughout its length but colored yarns, and a mock heel portion formed of tuck has a mock heel formed therein as a result of the said tuck stitches, the wales of said heel portion connecting the stitches. wales of the sole portion with wales of said leg portion H 2. The sock as set forth in claim 1 in which the said 5 whereby with the exception er the toe and the said sock has tuck stitches are one-and-one tucks. the same number of continuous wale's throughout its 3. A sock moccasin comprising a circular knitted sock length but has a mock heel formed therein as a result of having a mock heel of tucked stitches knitted therein and the said tuck stitches. a leather sole secured to the sole thereof, said sock com- I prising a toe ptfrtiorlrg of plain knitistitchjebs, dallgg portion 10 References Cited in the file of this patent comprising a p ain nit region an a ri e it region, a sole portion of plain knit stitches, a decorative Jacquard UNITED STATES PATENTS design portion extending between said toe portion and 1,872,597 Lawson et a1. ...Aug. 16, 1932 said leg portion on the upper side of said sock, said Jac- V g 

